Conservatives Dispute Bush Portrayal of Islam as Peaceful

washington post ^ | 11/30/02

[knak]

President Bush finds himself in a rare disagreement with conservatives in his party over his efforts to portray Islam as a peaceful religion that is not responsible for anti-American terrorism.

In a score of speeches since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the president has called for tolerance of Muslims, describing Islam as "a faith based upon peace and love and compassion" and a religion committed to "morality and learning and tolerance."

[ex-Texan]

'Islam' doesn't mean 'peace.' It means 'absolute submission' in Arabic. 'Nuff said.

[onedoug]

Of Course Most Muslims Are Peaceful--So What?

[Founding Father]

Well I'm certainly proud that my tax dollars are being used to fund White House dinners celebrating Ramadan.

[freepersup]

Big ol right on the money bump for this article.

[Jhoffa_]

I don't pretend to be a biblical scholar, but excerpted passages that I have seen from the Koran did explicitly state that religion should not be compulsory.

From this alone (admittedly) it would seem that the religious leaders are exploiting stupid followers.

Read the Old Testament lately? Imagine what you could do with that, given a simple enough audience..

[Brimack34]

Rare disagreement!! They must not have listened to RUSH or read Free Republic the last two years. I would say we had alot of things to disagree about.

[webber]

During Ramadan, you are to fast....not eat......or was it that you should not eat to fast.......I can't remember. LOL!

[rmlew]

The Jewish Scrip;tures are particularist. The Israelites conquere one area. the Muslims are told to conquere everything.

[Jhoffa_]

Like I said, I just read a little bit, but it was plain spoken and explicit: No compulsory religion.

Period.

So much for ramming Islam down everyone's throat.

[Jhoffa_]

PS: Well, and expecting Allah to condone it anyway..

[webber]

"BELIEVE IT!"

I do, I do. Remember too, that PLO stands for Palestine Liberation Organization. Ask the PLO what the borders of Palestine is and they will reply, it includes ALL of Israel. Then ask the PLO what they are liberating Palestine of and they will reply "liberating Palestine of All Jews!

[Jhoffa_]

Then ask the PLO what they are liberating Palestine of and they will reply "liberating Palestine of All Jews!

Read their charter.. (at least the old one, maybe they have changed it) and it's pretty clear on this point.

[Captainpaintball]

This "Islam is a pieaceful religion" crap is Bush's second great failure, behind legal/illegal immigration. Every time he opens his mouth on these issues, he looks like a complete idiot who has no idea what he is talking about.

Case in point: The very Muslim cleric he invited to the September 14, 2001 memorial service in Washington was caught (on tape, by Fox News) chanting "Death to America" around a year earlier.

Is he that stupid? he has advisors that could show him the Fox tape, or read passages of the Koran to him...he continues to take this position, although he is so clearly wrong; if this was clinton, we'd call for hs head.

Every time he bends over backwards for Islam, he is pissing in our faces, and blaming us for complaining. It is condescending on a level never before reached. In fact it is lying, and it makes me sick!

[AnnaZ]

Muslim Americans worry that the anti-Islam conservatives are winning the battle. "These right-wingers are trying to set up a civilizational conflict with all their might in the same way as Osama bin Laden," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We're trying our darndest to prevent it but every day it's looking more and more like it's heading in that direction. . . . It really is getting a bit frightening. At some times I feel like a member of the Jewish community in Germany in the latter stages of the Weimar Republic."

Ohgivemeanf'ingbreak.

[sweetliberty]

"the claim is dishonest and destined to fail"

Bears repeating, loudly and often!

[Texas_Jarhead]

""These right-wingers are trying to set up a civilizational conflict with all their might in the same way as Osama bin Laden," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We're trying our darndest to prevent it but every day it's looking more and more like it's heading in that direction. . . . It really is getting a bit frightening. At some times I feel like a member of the Jewish community in Germany in the latter stages of the Weimar Republic."

I would personally like to have a little chat with this lying ahole Hooper. The author should have just come right out and expressed his love for Islam and disdain for Christianity. Is this journalism?

[Minutemen]

Wake up Bush, You need not pander for the Islamo-Nazi vote. You are the incumbent president.